keepingfaith

Having read the Houston Press, a free paper available in news stands downtown and in many stores and restaurants, the fact that they are mentioning Clay Aiken at all has blown my mind. This is absolutely an alternative paper and was once pretty radical. Musically they have always liked the avant garde, underground type of artists. For the past few years they have pulled back a lot, but occasionally have a burst of investigative journalism that is impressive. Just the fact that the Press is interested in talking to him tells me that they think he is big enough to either try to understand or try to humiliate. But that wouldn't be confined to Clay Aiken. Clay is, at the very very least, on a sufficiently high level in the public consciousness to be controversial and to have entered into the media dialogue even if the background noise is unfair. It hurts our feelings, I know it pisses me off when I hear even the subtle negative connotations. But if Clay is trying to grow his career, the fact that he has so much recognition, albeit not always the image we prefer, is a huge opportunity for him. I see him capitalizing on it and it thrills my soul!!! I have faith in the fact that he's smart, that he knows what he's doing, and of course that he's mad-talented, charismatic, witty, empathetic, angelic, sexy gorgeous -- and that thousands and thousands of people, especially women, already know it. I'm assuming the woman writing the Press article is sufficiently interested to attend the concert. That's the key, if we can just get all these critics to a Clay Aiken concert! Listen to me, I haven't been to one yet. HA! But I'm on the sunny side of the street today!!! The Chronicle story on Thursday is what really has my interest. I'll want to read that one before the Press. The Chronicle has a circulation of 500,000 - 600,000 and it's the 7th largest paper in the country. That one can do him some good.

Just my POV, but I read that differently. From what is said in that blurb, there's nothing there that was anything but good to me. Most people think he has a great voice and that's fine ... they just don't get him like we do -- and many because they HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA!!!!! Also, I've run across a few "Claymates" in the past year that have kinda scared me too. I would imagine that this writer has heard from them in the past few months. Clay's concert made the news in Houston after the symphony phone lines were swarmed for first day ticket sales -- they'd never seen anything like it. So they are writing about the "phenomenon" and I think that's great. If they mention he has over the top fans, that makes it even better, IMO. If people read that Clay has rabid, devoted fans they may think, "Hmmmm, wonder what this guy's got to make these women go crazy? Maybe I should check this out." I didn't go to the NaT in Houston because I didn't know about it -- and I would have died to go had I known! And I'm not the only one. I wasn't in the online fandom then, and there was absolutely NOTHING to indicate that Clay Aiken was having a concert here. I do read the entertainment sections and regularly check out who's coming to town ... and Clay was never mentioned. THIS time people have a chance to find out about it -- with the Chronicle story (complete with hot, full-length AMA picture) the day after tickets went on sale, and the Press got involved and did the art contest, Jones Hall has his picture up in lights ... there's an amazing difference! And now there will be interviews in both the Chronicle and the Press on Thursday? It's all good. I'm interested that he said "It's either going to be a smash or a flop. We'll find out in Houston." That opens me up to thinking that Houston actually may be the first night of the Soft Rock and a Hard Place show. I haven't thought before that Frisco would be a different show, just less banter because of the time constraints. But now I don't know. It hasn't rained, or even threatened rain, at my house all day so far and the chance of rain today is 60%. The chance of rain on Friday is 30%!!!! Now if Dallas will just dry up!!!!!!

Inasmuch as I'm not working this week, I just turned on the tube and saw Constantine acting on a soap! How long has he been on The Bold and the Beautiful? He apparently plays a musician named .... Constantine. I'm not a fan of soaps or Constantine, so I quickly moved on. Actually, he's always given me the creeps.

TOMORROW TOMORROW I LOVE YOU TOMORROW On the BRIGHT side ... the sun is shining at my house in South Texas this morning. Of course, it's going to rain this afternoon again, but it's nice to see the sun breaking through the trees right now! One thing about this Texas rain, it has been raining almost every day in Houston and in Dallas, but it doesn't rain ALL day, just sometime during the day. And it has been dry here at night ... so if it must rain, please God let the rain be confined to during the day. That will cool things off during the hottest part of the day, and Clay can heat things up tomorrow night! But .... I bought a rain poncho last night just in case, because I'm down for whatever! My former DIL (we're still good friends) and 11-year old gdaughter are coming to Houston from Marble Falls, where the rain has been Biblical, for the Houston show. I'm so excited that they're going to be able to make it after all!!!!!!!!

ldyjocelyn, you have my cell number too, right? After returning from Dallas to merrieeee's, I have to pass by downtown when I go home so I can easily give someone or two or three a ride to the Hyatt. Downtown is my stomping grounds these days anyway. Going from North to South in the Houston area ..... my sister's house merrieeee's house IAH Downtown Hobby my house Now Houston is big remember ... it takes about an hour from merrieeee's house to my house, with downtown about mid-distant from both. As far as which highway near IAH is preferable to traveling between all these spots .... that would be I-45, which is also the road to Dallas.

OMG ironing sucks so bad. I started feeling a queazy tum tum and decided maybe I needed to actually put something in my stomach as I hadn't thought about eating at all today. So I took a couple of bites of a sandwich and that was all I could do. I recognize this deal, and I've obviously switched over into anxious/nervous-can't-eat mode from the happy-happy-eating Blue Bell Birthday Cake ice cream syndrome I've suffered with lately. I'm stressing. And I'm not going to iron any more. Would anyone be interested in making a crossroads deal with the devil/weatherman that it can rain all he wants during the day Wednesday, as long as it clears up about 8PM for Clay and fireworks? I'm all for compromise.

You just reminded me I need to make a list! Alien as it is to my nature to make a list ... there's a time and place for everything and I think the time has come for detailed lists ... this man causes change.

Oh. I confess. When I first saw this I thought it said "The House of Penis" muski, House of Pies is here. It's a delicious institution that has the best blueberry pancakes ever. House of Penis is up the road a piece in Austin. Clay content?? Um, I think I've covered it. <<<<<<<That's her, officer, the one that tried to kill me!! Seriously, I wanna know how this sqeezer person got into my safe deposit box. I never leave those kind of tapes lying around....never. BOING!!! BOING!!!! BOING!!!!BOING!!!!BOING!!!!! All four walls and the ceiling! Bounce much, K'eh? :Tour3: :Tour3: :Tour3: :Tour3: :Tour3: Oh, so THIS is the infamous Karen Eh? tape -- now a YouTube sensation!!! Paris Hilton is so tired and dated now. That was quite inspiring. Glad I'm up late tonight! The House of Pies ... The House of Penis!!!! Too funny. I remember going there (Kirby) quite a few times back in the 80's in the late night hours ... and back then it was commonly known as the House of Gies!

Not even a few now, just TWO :Tour3: I'm having no problems staying up late at night to watch Clack --- tonight, some AC JBT I had not seen before, the Boston husband banter, and just lately I've come to hugely appreciate ANMHE. I've watched video of it from most of the venues and that one does draw me in. And a montage to In The Air Tonight that LCV shared with me at OFC has required multiple viewings tonight. As if I wasn't in enough of a heightened state already! http://youtube.com/watch?v=0sfEjji1mw0

My three purdy pins arrived today!! They look even better than I imagined they would! Kudos to everyone involved in the process ... now I wish I had ordered at least a couple more. :F_05BL17blowkiss: All of a sudden I have so much to do that somehow seems essential, stuff I never ever do, like a foot mask. Why all of a sudden I feel the need to pack my feet in clay (ooooo I said Clay!) when soap and water and a little lotion were good enough in my previous life, I'm not sure, but I think it's called obsession. I'm now attempting to adopt an 'I don't give a f---' attitude about everything except the essentials -- such as deciding within the next 72 hours what to wear to three concerts, and what to do with my crappy hair. One thing is for sure, rain or shine, hot or less hot, it will be humid and I will glisten in Frisco. But it has been relatively cool here .... and highs in the upper 80's instead of the upper 90's are certainly appreciated. I know the killer temps will come eventually, but sometimes they start in May so I'm loving the chill. Which is what I need to be ... so I'll enter Lucky's Lotto and put the big money on the following to show up on the setlist. Right Here Waiting (Opening) Here You Come Again These Open Arms Lover All Alone I Want to Know What Love Is A Thousand Days Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me Invisible The Way Measure of a Man If You Don't Know Me By Now Bridge Over Troubled Water Moon River Without You (Encore) I have mixed feelings about whether the Frisco concert will vary from the shows beginning in Houston. I've seen more than a few 4th of July Freedom Fest pre-fireworks concerts and the bands never once did patriotic songs ... they sang their hits, which is what everybody wanted to hear. When the fireworks start, that's when everyone hears Ray Charles sing America The Beautiful, and the traditional singing of God Bless The USA and the standard rock anthems that are played. So I don't think Clay will necessarily incorporate patriotic songs into his set list. My other brain, however, is thinking that Clay will do it the way he wants to, and he's delightfully unpredictable. I think I'll now have ice cream at 1 in the a.m. Everyone seems to have been on a diet in preparation for the concerts ... but I've been eating more than usual for a few weeks now. I am predictable. When I'm down and blue, I can't eat a bite. Nothing. A normal day I watch what I eat. But when I'm really really happy and excited, I say "Hell yeah, I want whipped cream on that!" The extra rich kind.

Whew! Thank God they repaired the fiber optics!!! That blog was too much. Still teasing about the iPhone. He so knows what we're excited about and is gigging us. He's such a mess. A precious mess. I love him.

Well, finally got someone to answer at the 800 number and she tells me that internet is down over the entire state of Texas. Okay. That could account for the high volume of calls. Then she tell me that they are trying to identify the problem, but that it could be 24-48 hours until it's back up ... although they hope blahdy blahdy blah. It seems to me that if the system is down over the entire state, it should be easier to identify the problem ... but what do I know??? Once I go home this evening I'm on vacation til July 10th so if you guys don't hear from me for a couple of days, you'll know why and that maybe it's not a complete meltdown on my part ... but that Comcast has technicians who probably couldn't find their own asses with both hands and a flashlight. In the meantime, I picked up a Houston Press today and found this in there .... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE mmmmmmmmmm, I love seeing his hands in his pockets. goldarngirl!!! Welcome aboard. I love your montages!!!!!

Does anyone have experience with Comcast? Comcast just took over for Time-Warner here. Supposed to be seamless they said .... but today I get a call from home saying that the high-speed wireless internet connection is down -- both computers. So I call the local number for Comcast, but it's one of those fast busy signals for 20 minutes, so I call on my cell phone and get "Call Failed - Number Busy" .... so then I call the 1-800 number, which answers, puts me on hold, and then informs me that because of the high volume of calls they're going to have to let me go -- please try back later. I can understand connectivity issues in the flooded areas of Texas, but we are high and dry and hot here ... so I don't get it. With several years of Time-Warner there was never a time when they couldn't handle the volume of calls, even during hurricane season! I hope Comcast doesn't make me conniption fit-thowing pissed at a time like this.

Funneeee, treenuts. I love a good laugh in the morning!! I must have speculated about every song he ever sang two bars of publicly, but then realized the stroll down memory lane could be any songs from the past. But honestly, the first thing that came to my mind was Always and Forever -- that is one huge song for him that I've never heard him sing other than on the AI audition. I've also thought back to the demos that had big orchestra backup, like Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, and a few others. But ... if Clay Aiken ever sings He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother ... I'll just DIE!!!!! He has the perfect voice for that song and I think it has a Clay vibe to it. Or ... The Air That I Breathe ... Oh my God he's going to have to sing for another 50 years minimum to get in all the songs I want to hear on top of the original songs he'll sing. Which means I need to check into some life extension programs.

Marble Falls is the home of my former DIL and two of my granddaughters are there right now. I talked to them yesterday, but haven't been able to get through today. It is near Austin, about 250 miles from Frisco. But then, the Dallas area is getting it's share of rain, too. Here in Houston it was sunny and hot today. ETA: At least where I am. It could have been completely different across town!

I am so excited that I don't know what to do with myself. I really don't. I'm getting to the point where I can't post anything about Clay because anything I write is goofy. I can post about iPods, other music, logistical plans, but I feel the keyboard equivalent of tongue-tied when it comes to posting about the tour, and seeing Clay in concert in just 6 days. I get up from the computer and do other things. but then I can't stand it and have to come back and read around for a while. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Up and down, in and out, like an automaton. If I write some really off the wall stuff, just overlook me for a while. This is uncharted psyche, and waaayyy beyond anticipation. And here I am someone that has rarely, if ever, done "anticipation." That was one Carly Simon song I could never relate to -------- before. What the hell????

Thank you, Thank you!!!! A thousand times Thank You!!!!!

You mean a $600+tax phone!!! And the "mystery project" he says will be a classic. I don't even want to speculate about it. I just want it to happen.

I loved everything about the Larry King show with Paul, Ringo, Olivia, Yoko and Guy ... everything except some of Larry King's insipid questions. And some of his comments that weren't put so well ... like when going to a commercial he said ... "we'll continue with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, who loved and lost." All I could think of at that point was .. what an ass. Paul was Beatle Paul all the way. Still silly and mugging all the way. And, Ringo continues to be one of the coolest people on the planet. I loved all the segment's bumper music and film. THAT was fabulous. Olivia seems to be such a quietly beautiful person -- totally down to earth and very bright. And Yoko is Yoko. I've always had a thumps-up for Yoko --- as long as she doesn't sing.

HA! Sneering at the vicodin! So ... will the feet be ready to strut in hot, high-heeled shoes next Friday night??? Or were you thinking more along the lines of sequined paper booties?? (Hey, that's an idea for the glitter!!!) I was going to say "hope you feel better" and really mean it -- but if you're on morphine and vicodin, you feel better than I do! Wish I felt as good as you ... and that you feel well enough to be off the heavy drugs real soon now! Seven Days Baby!!!!

I've only seen Neil Diamond once ... and it was when he was touring Solitary Man, so you can see it's been a while. He shared a bill with Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs, and Tommy James & The Shondells. I was a baby -- my first pop show. I have the DVD of The Band's The Last Waltz, and I'm going to have to break down and buy the CD just to get a download of Neil Diamond singing "Dry Your Eyes" with Robbie Robertson. It moves me. And speaking of Robbie Robertson, I love the way he sings Unbound with Rita Coolidge. And Somewhere Down The Lazy River has to be one of the best hot summer night songs of all time -- why do you always end up down at Nick's cafe? and you like it now, you'll learn to love it later -- hmmm need to listen to that one again. I just love Van Morrison -- almost everything he did and that's a lot -- but I especially love the songs that were more obscure because they were too long or too soul-stripped, such as the stuff on "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher." Tir Na Nog just slays me. As for Donovan, happiness still runs in a circular motion. When the radio announced that Bobby Kennedy had been shot, the first song they played after the announcement was Hurdy Gurdy Man. That will always stay with me. I still love to hear Catch The Wind on that Visa commercial! Of course, first and foremost, I am a longtime, lifelong fan of The Moody Blues. I hold Justin Hayward and John Lodge in awe and rarely listen to the songs that were "hits" -- but the stuff from "To Our Children's Children's Children" and "On The Threshold of a Dream." Leonard Cohen, Yes! And I love Jennifer Warnes singing Famous Blue Raincoat ... and Bernadette. OMG the way Jennifer Warnes sings Bernadette! I love old U2, and new U2, and U2 in the middle. I love Coldplay, and Stevie Wonder, and Stevie Nicks, and Stevie Ray. I miss Stevie Ray. I love old Simon & Garfunkel like America, The Only Living Boy in New York, The 7 O'Clock News (Silent Night), So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright, The Dangling Conversation, and everything else they did. I get down with ZZ Top!! Give me some Francine and Just Got Paid/Jesus Just Left Chicago, and Bad and Nationwide. I've been to Metallica concerts, Joan Baez concerts. And Leon Russell and Delaney & Bonnie. All right!!!!! Can a little Joe Cocker "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" be far behind??? But you know who I really, really, love with a passion for every molecule of his being? Yeah, that guy I'm going to be seeing exactly 7 days from right now!!!!!!!

I see where they serve Starbucks coffee ... but I need to know where the real Starbucks is for my Venti Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte, Breve, Extra Shot, Extra Hot. ETA: Nevermind, I'm probably not going to have $5 left by that Sunday morning! Hey Clayzor ... bet you missed this part in small print at the bottom: Note: Effective May 21, 2007 the hotels' swimming pool will be closed for full renovation for at least 60 days.

Reminds me of my oldest son's visit to Dublin in March. He loves Guinness and went to the brewery and the whole bit. Then on his last night in Ireland he wanted to go to a real Irish pub and not a touristy place, so he wandered out and found a neighborhood Irish pub, an "authentic" one --- where most of the Irish patrons were drinking Coors Light. And paying imported beer prices for it!!! He said he and another guy were the only ones in the place drinking Guinness. I have a Snickerdoodle here if you like those. Ummmmm. And you probably know who Burton Cummings is ... the lead singer for Guess Who ... American Woman, No Sugar Tonight, and all that jazz. I loved his solo stuff.

I mostly uploaded a ton of cds (including MoaM and MCWL) into the iTunes hard drive, but the first tunes I downloaded were: Stand Tall -- Burton Cummings Good Shepherd -- Jefferson Airplane Cowgirl In The Sand -- Neil Young (4-Way Street) Cortez The Killer -- Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Live Rust) You Get What You Give -- New Radicals I Am a Pilgrim -- The Byrds Celeste - Donovan Season of the Witch -- SuperSession (Stills, Kooper, Bloomfield) TB Sheets -- Van Morrison It Makes No Difference -- The Band (I loved Ricky Danko!)

I wouldn't pay much attention to 10-day weather forecasts in Texas. In fact, I don't pay much attention to 2-day weather forecasts in Texas. How the lows, if there are any, move around, or stall, or dissipate is impossible to forecast. Sometimes, like NOW in North Texas and the Hill Country, the rain just sits there. I have two granddaughters in Marble Falls -- and so far they aren't flooded, but everything near the creek is, the winery has been destroyed and cars washed away ... and they opened the floodgates at the dam so its a serious situation, especially since more rain is expected tonight. They had 20 inches overnight. By next week it could be dry as a bone. However, there WILL be mosquitos is any areas where water has pooled. Except for the Hill Country -- too rocky for mosquitos there. And here's one of my photos from South Texas at the Frio River .... only one guess necessary as to why it's called the Frio!